The Ultimate Rice Cooker (51 page)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1. Place the beans in the rice cooker bowl and cover with the water. Add the onion, garlic, and chili powder. Close the cover, set for the regular cycle, and set a timer for 1½ hours. Add the salt and pepper during the last half hour of cooking.
2. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy metal skillet over medium heat. Ladle in 1 cup of the beans and about ¼ cup of their liquid. Simmer over medium to medium-high heat to evaporate the liquid, mashing the beans with the back of an oversized metal spoon. When the mixture is very thick, add another cup of beans and ¼ cup liquid, cooking and mashing. Continue until you have mashed all of the beans and used up at least half of the cooking liquid (reserve the excess so you can add some later if the beans are too thick).
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans until thick, but not as thick as refried beans, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate, covered. The beans will thicken further as they cool.
refried beans:
To make refried beans, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil over medium heat in a medium-size heavy skillet and add 2 cups of the cold rancho beans. Let cook until they sizzle around the edges. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
Anyone familiar with Tassajara Hot Springs and Ed Brown’s wonderful cookbooks might already be a fan of these tahini-glazed hot soybeans. Soybeans come in a few colors, but the buff yellow is the most familiar. They are the strongest flavored bean, so they are not served very often unless you know your diners, although roasted soybeans are tasty as a garnish like toasted nuts. A vegetarian delight and nice side dish for lamb, beef, or tofu.
MACHINE: Medium (6-cup) or large (10
cup) rice cooker; fuzzy logic or on/of f
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 4
1 cup dried soybeans, picked over, rinsed, soaked in water to cover (overnight or quick-soak method), and drained
4 cups water
¾ cup sesame paste (tahini)
3 to 4 tablespoons tamari (a thick, strong soy sauce), to your taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Place the soybeans in the rice cooker bowl and cover with the water. Close the cover, set for the regular cycle, and set a timer for 2½ hours.
2. When the timer sounds, test the beans for doneness; if still firm, cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Drain off any excess cooking liquid into a measuring cup.
3. In a small bowl, thin the sesame paste with some of the hot cooking liquid and add the tamari. Pour this mixture over the hot beans and toss until evenly coated, using a wooden or plastic rice paddle or wooden spoon. Adjust the consistency with some more cooking liquid if the beans seem too dry.
4. Serve hot, with tamari and a pepper mill for seasoning to taste.
hearty split pea soup with turkey sausage
This is a great lunchtime food. Hearty, nutritious, and low in fat, it packs a garlic punch yet is mild enough for children to enjoy. We developed the recipe when spring garlic was in season. Spring, or immature, garlic is just beginning to divide into cloves; rinse it, peel away any discolorations on the outer layer, and chop it. There are no papery skins to discard. If you can’t find the mild spring garlic, use regular garlic, the freshest you can find.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/of f
CYCLE: Regular
YIELD: Serves 6
2 cups dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
6 cups water (7 cups, if you like a thin soup)
½ pound turkey kielbasa, split lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 head spring garlic or 6 cloves regular garlic, chopped
2 medium-size carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1½ teaspoons salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
About 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1. Place all the ingredients in the rice cooker bowl. Close the cover, set for the regular cycle, and set a timer for 1 hour.
2. When the timer sounds, check the peas for doneness; they should be very soft. Taste the soup for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if needed. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
yellow split pea soup with fresh lemon
Beth has been making some version of this soup, originally from the first edition of
The
Tassajara Recipe Book
(Shambala, 1985), since she got the book. Beth’s dear friend Qui, who made lots of Indian-style food when she cooked in an ashram in the early 1960s, showed Beth how to cook basmati rice and make a spicy dal to top it. This soup is a simplified version of the dal. It is especially easy if you have two rice cookers so you can make the soup and rice at the same time; otherwise, just reheat either the rice or soup. Everyone asks for this recipe.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
fuzzy logic or on/of f
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 medium-size carrot, halved lengthwise and diced
2 large stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cups dried yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
Grated zest and juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons
1½ teaspoons salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe
Basmati Rice
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves and ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped together, for garnish
1. Set the rice cooker for the Quick Cook or regular cycle. Place the butter, olive oil, and onion in the rice cooker bowl. Cook, stirring a few times, until the onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, and cumin and cook until soft, another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the split peas, water, and bay leaf. Close the cover, set for the regular cycle, and set a timer for 1 hour.
2. When the timer sounds, stir in the lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper. Close the cover and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf.
3. Serve the soup in bowls with the rice, and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and cilantro.
Whereas black bean chili is a stick-to-your-ribs thick bean stew, the delightful black bean soup is quite a bit thinner in consistency but every bit as soul satisfying. This is a soup that is made in the southern part of the United States, so it has a bit of bacon in it. Of course, you can leave it out and use additional vegetable oil. Black beans have a black skin, but after cooking the inside is sweet and creamy. This soup is so good you often just cannot stop with one bowlful. This is our favorite recipe, adapted from food doyenne and cooking teacher Charlotte Coombe, one she made for our local bakery café when they offered a daily hot soup to serve with their fresh bread.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off or fuzzy logic
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 8
8 ounces (about 6 slices) bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery, with some leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or savory leaves, crumbled
6 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 pound dried black turtle beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked in water to cover (overnight or quick-soak method), soaking water reserved
2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
¾ cup dry sherry (optional)
Crumbled goat cheese or sour cream, for garnish
1. Place the bacon, oils, and onions in the rice cooker bowl. Set for the Quick Cook or regular cycle and cook until the bacon is just browned and the onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add the celery, cumin, marjoram, chicken stock, and bay leaf; cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the beans and their soaking liquid. Close the cover, set for the regular cycle, and set a timer for 1½ hours.
3. When the timer sounds, add the salt, pepper, and sherry, if using. Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes longer.
4. Remove the bay leaf. Puree in batches in a food processor or with a handheld immersion blender. Taste the soup, adding more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve hot, topped with crumbled goat cheese or a dollop of sour cream.
turkey chili with baby white beans
Now this is a recipe that calls for canned beans for convenience. It is ready in about 1½ hours and has been deemed the best version yet.
MACHINE: Large (10-cup) rice cooker ;
on/off or fuzzy logic
CYCLE: Quick Cook and/or regular
YIELD: Serves 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped
1½ teaspoons dried marjoram
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ pounds lean ground dark turkey meat